Banana Cake

I LOVE this banana cake! It was the second recipe I made after becoming vegan and over the years it has remained one of my top favourite recipes. Even without having tried other similar recipes, I can rightfully claim this is the best! Until now I haven't been able to find a topping that would complement this cake without overpowering its perfect blend of flavours.

Once you take the cake out of the oven get as close to it as possible, close your eyes and take a deep breath of that fantastic aroma of warm banana and cinnamon. I've never been patient enough to let the cake cool completely; I'd just let it sit for a few minutes until it was safe to slice and then eat it warm.

Depending on how ripe or large the banana is or how smooth you mash it and how much you mix the ingredients you can either get a regular, slightly crumbly cake texture or a perfectly fluffy, springy one. Either way this cake is absolutely delicious. It's moist, full of flavour, mildly sweet, fruity and addictive.

I wish I could take credit for this amazing recipe. When I first made it I didn't have a plan to write a food blog and so I didn't save the link. Now I can't seem to find it anywhere:( Well, thank you mysterious author for sharing this wonderful creation!


Banana Cake

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup organic plain white flour
• 1/2 cup unrefined caster sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder (Ceylon cinnamon if possible, see my notes on Carrot Cake)
• 1 tsp baking powder (aluminium-free)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp desiccated coconut

Wet Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana (medium or large)
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice with pulp
• 3 Tb sunflower oil (for a fat-free version I use applesauce instead of oil)

Prepare a 20 cm (8") loose bottom pan. Remove the bottom, cover it with parchment paper, fold it underneath and place it back inside the ring. Pull the paper from all sides until it's taut and trim the edges, leaving a 1-2 cm border, as shown below.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Peel the banana and mash it a little with a fork, leaving some tiny chunks in. I like to taste these little pieces of banana and the orange pulp inside the cake. You can also mash the banana until smooth.

Mix the dry ingredients with a spoon or whisk until well combined. Add the mashed banana and mix it in a little with a fork. Add the orange juice and mix with the fork until just combined (baking soda will react instantly with the orange juice creating air bubbles, overbeating will cause the cake to become dense and not rise enough). Add the oil and gently mix it in.
Lightly grease the side of the pan with oil. Pour the batter in.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The longer you let it cook, the less fluffy the cake will be.

Remove on a wire rack and let cool until just warm, then carefully remove the cake from the pan, peel off the paper and place on a serving plate (to remove it from the pan, I just place the pan on top of a bowl and then carefully push the ring down with my thumbs while holding the bottom from underneath - of course, if you have a springform pan, you don't have to struggle with this).

Aren't these colours gorgeous?

Let the cake cool completely and slice or cut into pieces.

And this is how it started: three years ago I used to make this banana cake in a 22 cm (8.7") pan and had to let it cook a bit longer because the pan was tall and retained moisture inside. The cake would turn out darker and deliciously crunchy and caramelized on the sides. I took photos with my mobile's camera then:)

I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe. Enjoy and spread the magic:)

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